Deputy President Paul Mashatile has issued a stern warning to municipal officials, declaring that misconduct and dysfunction at local government level will no longer be tolerated—especially when attempts are made to shift the blame onto politicians.
Mashatile said it was true that politicians were the main reason why local governance was not up to the standards, instead, officials were involved.
The deputy president was answering oral questions from MPs in the National Assembly about local government interventions on Thursday.
“It’s not the politicians who are creating problems—it’s the officials within municipalities. There will be consequences for that,” Mashatile asserted.
His remarks come as political parties are gearing up for the upcoming 2026 local government elections. The campaigns have already begun.
This renewed push coincides with government efforts to tackle deep-rooted structural issues plaguing local municipalities.
Following a historic outcome in the 2024 national and provincial elections—where no party secured an outright majority—the Government of National Unity (GNU) and Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) were formed to ensure political stability and shared governance.
Mashatile outlined the administration’s commitment to turning around the country’s most dysfunctional municipalities.
The initiative aims to stabilise and improve the performance of at least ten of the worst-affected municipalities ahead of the next local government elections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently launched Phase Two of Operation Vulindlela, a strategic initiative aimed at unlocking bottlenecks in service delivery and ensuring sustainable municipal reform.
Mashatile said they will do their best to ensure challenges facing local governments were addressed even before the actual elections.
Politics
